Today we’d like to introduce you to Blakely Little.
Hi Blakely, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, I always enjoyed creating, but it wasn’t until high school that I honed in on painting as my medium. I came down to College of Charleston for school and majored in Arts Management and minored in Studio Art. I always thought I would manage an artist or enter the design world. My semester abroad in Florence, Italy changed everything. My season aboard gave me space to understand myself as an artist and grow. I started to figure out my style and how my work could reflect my genuine personality. One of my favorite moments was when my professor Lorenzo said he could see me in my paintings.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being an artist can definitely be hard. You are taking your inner feelings and thoughts, and through talent and teaching, you use your skills to convey those thoughts… then you share it with the world and people say whether they like it or not. This is daunting sometimes! Plus, people can be rude and mean, as in every job. I think having my sketchbook helps me feel free to flush out ideas so I feel confident in what I am selling. But, as cheesy as it sounds, there are a lot of days where I truly feel my insides saying “I love to paint!!!” The act of mixing colors and putting them together in a specific way is therapeutic to me. I also love that what I am painting can resonate so much with someone else to the point that they would want to keep it and hang it in their home for years. How special is that! So, I would say the road has had bumps along the way, but I’ve always felt like I had a good direction.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I collect shapes, light, and color through my home life and travels and turn them into paintings! I typically use acrylic paint on wood panels or paper. Coastal scenes are what I first became known for, but more recently I have enjoyed capturing all things that encompass a coastal lifestyle. I’m always trying to zoom in and out on certain aspects of my life.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My parents were always encouraging me to try new things and figure out who I was, so I think that helped me have the confidence to jump in. My professor Lorenzo was one of the first artist that saw who I was, and what I made, and said my work was important. My studio-mates, Lulie Wallace, Teil Duncan, and Raven Roxanne, all have encouraged me and pushed me through the years. It can be hard to be an extrovert working in a studio alone all day, so having them by my side has made me want to be in the studio. They make it fun! Also, my husband has always been such a cheerleader- he’s really learned to talk about art in a way that makes me feel loved and seen.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@blakelymade.com
- Website: blakelymade.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blakelymade/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzm0i-RC8r9H5_vzBd8rISA/videos
